<1>The
human (each
unit
consciousness) has the choice to be guided or to become
a lost soul. <2>In fact, because this
choice exists, the whole evolutionary process and creation
of the universe became necessary.

<3>So
those who use this choice for staying ignorant of the
realities of the universe, and become attracted to
Maya and
self-centered, are the lost ones.

<4>Those who use their choice toward the
submissiveness to The Plan of
God are the saved
ones.

Surah Ornaments of Gold (Az-Zukhruf)

The
choice of the human to follow the spiritual path or to become lost:

Unbelievers say: that if the Gracious One so willed, we would
not have worshipped any beside Him. They have no knowledge of
truth.... (20)

<5>Daharma
(Darma) is a Sanskrit
word which means "innate nature." Every particle or being in this
universe has one or multiple
Daharmas. The
Daharma of an
animal is to eat, drink, sleep, regenerate, progress in that level
of consciousness, and die. He does not have any knowledge of
self or
God. <6>The
Daharma of man
in the physiological level is as an animal, but man is more
developed and also has a greater
Daharma. That
greater
Daharma is to
realize the spiritual world and to reach the goal of creation:
Pure
Consciousness. <7>That is, the human body is the most perfect
instrument for reaching
Pure
Consciousness.

<8>Daharma
can also be described as rules, regulations, or Laws which govern
each part of the universe alone, or all of the universe as a whole.
We have individual
Daharma,
Daharma for a
special group of people (men, women, etc.),
Daharma for society, world
Daharma, Universal
Daharma (Laws),
etc.

<9>These
Daharmas are
called the Laws of God by the
Prophets. These Laws
can never be broken. A person might think he can break these Laws,
or even apparently that person will break the Laws. But eventually
he who breaks these Laws breaks himself against them.

<10>The
devil is that force which
bends the
Soul of the human toward
material enjoyment (illusion of separation). He makes the delights
of life become attractive, and promises many things which seem equal
with everlasting happiness. <11>However, as a person gains them more
and more, he sees the emptiness of these promises. So the person
will continue to try to gain new promises of the attraction of the
external world.

<12>Only a crudified
Soul
can be lost in the ocean of
Maya (excess attraction to
the external world, illusion). <13>The force which crudifies the
Soul is none other than
the
tama guna, which
bends the
Soul and brings confusion
-- confusion to the mind,
lethargy, and directs the actions toward materialism and the
attention toward greed and the wanting of excessive material
possessions. It causes the person to be drowned in the illusion of
the world. It makes a person believe that the material world is all
there is.

<14>Therefore, the only force that should be overcome is the power
of the tama guna over the
Soul, which causes all the
false images a person has about the self and all the false
attractions of the external world.

<15>However, overcoming this power is not so easy. It needs much
purification,
meditation, a pure
environment, and an elaborate effort to bring the
Soul out of the grip of this force. That is why the concept of
the
devil
has been so powerful in human life. <16>This force has been the main
reason for creating the whole universe and taking the
unit
consciousnesses through the evolutionary process until they gain
this perfect human body with all the power of its flesh. Then a
human can utilize all his strength to overcome the force of the
tama guna over his
Soul and reach
Pure
Consciousness.

<17>As man progresses, however, in warding off the
devil
(the power of the tama
guna), he should utilize those powers he obtains toward a worthy
goal. Otherwise he will misuse them for selfish gains and desires,
and will go further under the influence of this force.

<18>That is why
meditation alone, without having a worthy ideal to work for,
will not be very helpful. It actually can be harmful in the
long run, because the energy
and power obtained by meditation will be directed toward false egoistical gain and
will create bad samskaras (sins) which will throw the person further
into ignorance
(illusion). <19>In this regard a
spiritual teacher
(Master), who takes you to God, is most helpful.

The desire for pleasure from the
objects of the senses
which comes from women and offspring and stored-up reserves of
gold and silver, marked horses (by their names), and cattle and
properties, appeal to the worldly men. These are the comfort for
this material world. It is with
God
which is an excellent abode.

Say (O
Muhammad):
Shall I inform you of something better than these, which are so
dear to you (O worldly people)? For those who keep from
evil and are aware of their duty to
God, there are gardens
with rivers flowing beneath and pure companions, and the bliss
of God.
God is watchful of His
bondmen. (14-15)

<20>Therefore, "desire for pleasure" comes from women (lower
nature of man) and children and "stored-up reserves of gold and
silver," and horses and land and cattle and things like that, which
are the attractions of the external world. <21>In verse 15 it says,
"those who keep from evil," which means, "Those
who keep from being attracted to these things which are
evil (which are
attractions to the external world) can understand the reality of the
spiritual world."

<22>So again
evil is nothing but excess
attraction to the external world.
Evil is not a being. It is a quality of the human which can be
overcome. So
evil
is the same as Maya, the
attraction to the material world.

They [the hypocrites] are like the
devil, who says to man disbelieve, and when man believes,
Satan says, I am not
of you, I fear God, the
Lord of the worlds. (16)

<23>Only
by loving God with
all your heart, mind,
and being, and directing everything toward Him, can
His Grace be won.
Then you will be saved from the attraction of the external
world (Maya),
which without His
Grace is impossible to overcome. <24>So
a person should become one-pointed toward
God and be
submitted to His Will so that nothing is able to distract
him from his concentrated attention to Him. "His eyes should
become single" (Matthew 6:22).

<25>In
the beginning when the nucleus of the universe was formed,
this center was (and still is) in
Pure
Consciousness and all-pervasive. He felt that the whole
universe was His Body. He realized how His Body is dead
under the influence of the
tama guna (is in the state of unawareness,
ignorance).
He decided to create
The
First Begotten Son
and this universe in order to help the cells of His Body (unit
consciousnesses) come to life (Pure
Consciousness, complete awareness).

<26>Therefore, He created the universe and
developed the evolutionary process, which helps man to
progress toward the highest and most delightful state of
being in this universe,
Pure
Consciousness (perfection).

<27>So, is He equal with someone who has not
created anything to help others in this great task?
<28>Or is someone who sacrifices himself to guide
others to the right path toward the goal, the same as those
who do nothing for others but are selfish and self-centered?
Certainly not!

<29>Self-centeredness and selfishness (the
illusion of being separated from others) furthers
ignorance and
the crudification of the Soul. <30>But
understanding the realities behind this universe and helping
all to reach
Pure
Consciousness will free a man from that binding force
(the
devil).

Surah The Bee (An-Nahl)

The
difference between
God and others is that He
has created all things but others did not or cannot:

Is he who creates the same as one who creates not? Will you not
then take heed? (17)

<31>Disbelievers
are those who become attached to the external world and their
limited
false egos instead of
realizing that this life is a transitory process which should be
utilized for progressing toward perfection. They forget there will
be a death for them also and another world.

<32>These are the ones who go far astray and will be drowned in
Maya. This is the truth of
being a believer or a disbeliever -- it is not the amount of prayer
or belief in some dogma. Those things are only tools to direct the
mind toward the spiritual
world.

Surah The Family of Imran (Ali 'Imran)

And
they (the disbelievers) devised their plans and
God devised His;
God
is the best Planner. (54)

<33>Disbelievers think they can cheat
God, especially by changing the Scriptures. But they do not know
that God is very aware of
their hearts and will carry out His own Plan for this universe. They
(intellectual
spiritualists) change the Scriptures in order to serve their own
purposes; however, then
God sends another great
Prophet to bring the truth back to the
light again.
<34>So the sun does not stay under the
clouds forever. The truth should be accepted by all. That is The
Plan.

<35>God
brings His religion again and again into this world. The people try
to destroy it, but another great Prophet or
spiritual teacher
comes, uses the
Akashic Records,
and reveals the truth again, until eventually all understand the
unseen Hand of
God in history and
creation.

Surah Women (An-Nisa)

Hypocrites seek attention of men instead of the Lord:

Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive
God, but they will be punished by
God. When they stay for
prayer, it is only for show to be seen by men. They remember
God but a little. (142)

Surah The Heights (Al-A'raf)

"You
know them by their marks" corresponds to
The Revelation "to receive a
mark" (Rev.
13:16-17):

The occupants of the Heights [highly developed spiritual Souls]
call out to men who are known by their
marks: Your
multitude availed you not nor did your pride. (48)

Woe unto the disbelievers; whom awaits a great punishment, for
they have chosen the life of this world over the hereafter, and
create obstacles in the way of
God
(for believers) and seek to make it look crooked; they verily
have gone far astray. (3)